The film originally ended at the courthouse, just after Woods won the case, with Elle on the steps of the courthouse sharing a victory kiss with Emmett, then cutting a year into the future to see her with a now-blonde Vivian form their own blonde legal defense club at law school. After the test audience revealed that they didn`t like the ending, McCullah Lutz and Smith consulted Luketic, Platt and other members of the production team while they were still in the lobby of the theater, and they agreed that a new conclusion was needed. “It was just a weak ending,” said screenwriter McCullah Lutz. “The kiss didn`t feel right to me because it`s not a romantic comedy – it wasn`t about their relationship. So the test viewers said, “We want to see what happens – we want her to succeed. That`s why we rewrote for graduation. Ubach and Jessica Cauffiel claim that the original ending also included Elle and Vivian drinking margaritas in Hawaii, implying that they were either best friends now or in love, although Smith and McCullah never wrote such an ending.[31] Other suggested endings for the film included a musical number in which She, the judge, the jury and everyone in the courthouse sang and danced. [13] The outline of Legally Blonde emerged from Brown`s experiences as a blonde who went to Stanford Law School while obsessed with fashion and beauty, reading Elle magazine and frequently colliding with the personalities of her peers. In 2000, Brown met producer Marc Platt, who helped her develop her manuscript into a novel.
Platt hired screenwriters McCullah Lutz and Smith to adapt the book into a film. The project caught the attention of director Luketic, an Australian newcomer who came to Hollywood after the success of his first offbeat short film Titsiana Booberini. “I had been reading scripts for two years and couldn`t find anything to put my own personal imprint until Legally Blonde came along,” Luketic said. Roger Ebert gave it three stars out of four, saying the film was “impossible to refuse” and that “Witherspoon effortlessly animated this material with sunshine and sharp wit.” [37] Todd McCarthy of Variety said Witherspoon gave a “wonderful and winning” performance. “Witherspoon shines stars from every pore, not to mention her hair, and is once again proving to be an actress worthy of comparison to the greats of the golden age like Carole Lombard and Ginger Rogers.” Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune also praised Witherspoon`s performance, saying that his “comic timing is perfect, his personality irresistible. But it`s his wit and immersion in the role that really permeates the whole film and makes it work. He added that Witherspoon “pours so much humor and spice into Elle that she lifts up the whole film.” [39] B. Ruby Rich of The Nation called it “the best adolescent girls` empowerment film to come in ages.” [40] CNN`s Paul Clinton praised the film as “a brazen satire that preserves a message: believe in yourself and follow your dreams.” [41] Legally Blonde is a 2001 American drama film directed by Robert Luketic. It stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge. The story follows Elle Woods (Witherspoon), a sister who tries to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Davis) by earning a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, overcoming stereotypes against blondes, and triumphing as a successful lawyer. Amanda Brown published Legally Blonde in 2001 and was based on her real-life experiences as a blonde who attended Stanford Law School while she was obsessed with fashion and beauty, reading Elle magazine and frequently colliding with the personalities of her peers.
[6] Witherspoon wore 40 different hairstyles in the film. [22] “Oh my God, it became known as `The hair that ate Hollywood,`” Luketic said. It was all about hair. I have this obsession with flyaways. It annoyed Reese a bit because I always had hairdressers on my face. But most of the time, the research and testing on set went in the right color, because `blonde` is open to interpretation, I thought. Producer Marc Platt was fascinated by the character of Elle Woods when he received a manuscript of an unpublished novel. [8] “What I liked about this story is that it`s hilarious, sexy and challenging at the same time,” says Platt. “The world looks at Her and sees someone who is blond and handsome, but no more.
She, on the other hand, does not judge herself or anyone else. She thinks the world is great, she`s great, everyone is great, and nothing can change that. She truly is an irrepressible modern heroine. The University of Southern California and Stanford refused to allow the producers to use their academic names in the film.[8] [23] “[The film`s producers] asked if they could play the film at USC, but the photos of her as a student and in sorority…